Welcome back!
When you were among the missing for several weeks, I wondered what had happened to you.
Consider driving the non-Interstate. I almost always do. Itâs slower and you go through lots of small towns where being stranded is more tolerable. I pulled over in a town of about 100 in rural Nevada on a long drive to take a short nap. Someone who lived nearby came over to ask if I needed help.
If the car is running well right now and if you feel comfortable that the car will easily make a 1000 miles around town where youâre at then knock on wood there should be no issues.
If youâre really fretting over this you might consider renting a small economy car for peace of mind.
Back in the 70s I bought a car (clean title and tag) out in the Los Angeles area for 10 (not a typoâŠ) bucks. I drove it back to OK with no issues and once back I gave it away to a guy who drove it to Fort Lauderdale, FL with no problems.
Sometimes you luck out! Way back in 1960 a friend from Germany who had just finished his studies here in April wanted to travel North America before going back home.
We located a 1950 Pontiac stick shift, zero extras with reasonably low mileage for $150. He travelled all summer through Canada and the USA and called me back in late September relating his journey. The car only had one problem, the gear shift which he had fixed for $28.
He covered over 30,000 miles and had a great summer. I was rewarded with a steak dinner and wished him Bon Voyage.
Cheap repair, would only be around $230 in todayâs money.
In the '80s I met a German student on an impromptu year abroad. He flew to Milwaukee (some connection), worked in a factory for 3 months, bought a '60s-era hunk of Detroit iron, drove around the rest of the year.
Readerâs Digest published the story of a guy who took a boat to England about '60, bought a used VW for ÂŁ50, drove it for a year, abandoned it at the dock when he sailed home. A few months later he got a notice from the police: they had impounded and condemned his car, sold it at auction for ÂŁ100, subtracted the fine, storage fee, auction fee, enclosed a cheque for ÂŁ50.
Good stories. My German friend sold the $150 Pontiac for $100 after his summer vacation. Total out of pocket was $78.
My way of approaching this would be, whatâs the worst thing that could happen?
First: if the car is having any safety-related issues - brakes, tires, steering, wipers â donât do it. Rent a car. You particularly donât want to have one of these items fail while on the road.
If the tires, brakes, and steering are good â essentially, the car is safe to drive â then the worst that could happen is that the car breaks down partway through the trip. Youâd need either roadside service or a ride, so is cell coverage OK throughout your route? If it is, do you have AAA or the like to get the tow/ride? If you might not have cell coverage, Iâd recommend renting again. If you will for sure, make sure your AAA membership is up to date and go ahead. You might end up having to have the car towed further than AAA will cover; youâll need to decide if thatâs worth it or not. If itâs not, rent the car.